White House chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci told ANI in an exclusive interview on Thursday that dramatically ramping up Covid-19 vaccination drive is key to ending the crisis.
India should work out arrangements with countries & companies while ramping up the capability of making vaccines, he said.
He further called the government’s decision to extend the gap between two doses of Covishield to 12-16 weeks a ‘reasonable approach’, adding that this "extended interval" is beneficial even from the efficacy standpoint.
When asked about the efficacy of the Sputnik V Vaccine set to be rolled out next week, he said ‘it seems to be quite efficacious, at a high level of close to 90 per cent or so’.
Dr Fauci also suggested that India should step up the role of the armed forces in combating COVID-19.